Brian the dog coming back to 'Family Guy'?

Here's some news to sweeten your Friday afternoon: Brian the dog may be coming back from the dead.

The beloved "Family Guy" character, killed off in an episode a couple weeks back, appears ready to pull a Lazarus - with EW.com saying an upcoming episode titled "Christmas Guy" features his name in the credits. (Note: A quick check of IMDB does not show this to be true - but EW may be pulling from a different source.) The synopsis for the episode? “Stewie devises a master plan to get the one and only thing he wants for Christmas.” Considering the pair's longtime friendship, it only makes sense that would mean Brian. Whether or not it's the dog we all know and love - or some zombie version is anyone's guess. As EW notes, however, the pup will play a role in future episodes.

"In an episode slated to run next fall, for example, he becomes enamored with an avid runner, played by Maya Rudolph," the site reports.

All of this is good news for fans of "Family Guy," especially those that vowed to stop watching the show unless Brian was brought back.

"Brian Griffin was an important part of our viewing experince," wrote Aaron Thompson in a change.org petition to Fox. "He added a witty and sophisticated element to the show. Family Guy and Fox Broadcasting will lose viewers if Brian Griffin is not brought back to the show."

While Thompson's petition garnered over 128,000 backers, it's clear that the creators of "Family Guy" never really intended to keep Brian off the show for long.

"Our fans are smart enough and have been loyal to our show for long enough, to know that they can trust us," executive producer Steve Callaghan told E!. "We always make choices that always work to the greatest benefit of the series."

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